Kolkata: West Bengal transport minister Subhas Chakraborty says another car manufacturer will soon take over the Singur site vacated by Tata Motors.

The minister revealed this to a private TV channel in West Bengal.

However, beyond saying that "a MoU with the automobile manufacturer will be signed by this month," Chakravarty would not reveal the identity of the carmaker.

Speculation is currently rife with names ranging from Bajaj Auto, Maruti or Amtek Auto, a Tier-I automobile spare supplier to a whole range of automobile companies from Hyundai to Tata Motors itself with a project other than the Nano.

Chakravarty also told reporters that the so far unnamed company coming to set up its plant in Singur had decided to do so with the knowledge of all complications at the location.

He said the MoU would be signed within 31 October and the details of the company would be known only by the end of October.

Chakravarty said he had played a major role in the new car manufacturer deciding to set up factory at Singur and added that, "Along with legal opinion, steps are being taken by the state government and the matter will be finalised within 31 October."

The minister said that the factory that would come up at Singur would create as many job opportunities as Tata Motor's Nano project would have and that it was wrong to say that the the Tatas left Singur because of state government's "soft handling" of the agitation there by the Trinamool Congress-led opposition.

He emphasised that the company left mainly due to the agitation.

What lends weight to the announcement is the fact that Chakravarty went public only after the CPM's state secretariat meeting on Friday.

Meanwhile Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee has flown to Delhi to table her demand of returning land to those Singur farmers who did not receive compensation for their land.